Portable flashlight



ytion 'in which it lies flat 'against the casing wall.

Patented Aug, 7, 1,945

s PATENT )oFF-ICE f PQRTABLE FLASHLIGHT `Bernard Francis ,Muldoon llaldwell, N. J., aassignor to fHenry Hyman, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Original application February 8, y1941, Serial-No. l 377,983. Divided and this application February v9, 1943,'Serial No. 475,256

, 4 claims.- (c1. .24o-m6) i 1er-his invention remtesjo portable nasmights. v

More particularly, it is :directed to 'agnove'l'sus- ,pension member and mounting shaft.

^ JThe main object o-f the 'invention isvto provide -a 'suspension member e for a flashlight Vwhich is mounted -for rotary' movement on a flashlight casing wall in such manner that `it can y"be 4swung to project perpendiularlyy,'therefrom` and which is retractably biased towards a .posi- -f Morespeci-i-lcally, it is'an .object of the inventionto provide asuspension member which sha-lly be Vautomatically maintained either a 'projecting operative position or a. retracted' inoperative position, and upon being rctated'a vfew l-deg-rees iny `one' directionv away `from its. perpen- C'di'cular projecting position will snap 'back to fully f retracted positionv and upon being rot-ated'ia 'few degrees in the opposite direction away from such perpendicular projecting position will snap back `to` an operative 'projecting positionfother than said perpendicular projecting position.

A'further object ofthe invention 'is to-provide a suspension member "of the character described -hav-ing'the foregoing advantageous featuresand l particularly adaptedjto `be mounted upon an exflashlight. Y

Another object of `the invention is to provide an .extensible suspension member which shall operate in an extremelyfeasy and efficient manfner, v-con-rprises but few and simple parts, and'be comparatively inexpensive to manufacture .and j `'rugged andfdurab'le to a high degree.

Other objects ofthe invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention' accordingly consistsv in the features of construction, combinations of elements,

.and arrangement of parts which will vbe exempli- K vfled inthe 4construction lhereinafter described,

and .of whichthe scope -of application will be indicated in 'the appended claims.

application is a division ofmy copending fparent lapplication for PortableI electric nashnghts, @serial No. 377,983; mea' February a, 1941. In 'the accompanying drawing, vin which 'is lFig. 4 isa similar view with the suspension f memberin extended position, and

Fig. v5"'is a sectional view taken along the jline 5--f5 Aof Fig. 4.

- Tn general, Icarry out the invention by mountingl a suspension member, on a flashlight casing in suc-h manner that 'the same may be rotated v relative to the lcasing from a position adjacent a wall of the casing through a position in which the suspension member projects perpendicularly therefrom. I also provide means to urge the suspension member'bac'k :to retracted position from any but vits perpendicular projecting posishownonelof the various possible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational View of a ashlight provided with a suspension member and mounting therefor embodying the invention,

Fig.' 2 isa bottom view thereof, Fig. 3 is aifragmentary enlarged sectional view of the bottom assembly showing the suspension ymember in fully retracted position,

v 'cludes fa hand switch 22.

tion. vWhen the suspension member is to one side -oi` such vperpendicular lprojecting position, it will turn freely back to fully retracted position;

' but when it is disposed to the other side of such perpendicular projecting position, its movement toward vfully retracted position Ais arrested so that -thegsupport is maintained in an operative projecting position other than said perpendicular lprojecting position.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing,

'I Shave there disclosed la suspension member Ill embodying the invention on a flashlight I2 such l:as -is illustrated and described in my aforesaid Icopending' parent application. The flashlight vcomprises a battry .casing I4 and a top 'assembly I, including a stationary bracket lB on which a, head 2f0 is rotatably mounted. The .batteries Bare housed in the casing M and are connected to .an electric'lamp (not shown) inside fo-f the .head by an electric circuit which in- The batteries are, vas usual, inserted in the casing through the openv rear Yend 42 4 andare held therein by a, threaded cap "26 which presses a springl 28 against the base of the lowermost battery B. The cap `in- -.-cludes a rearfflat. metallic wall 30 which forms the bottom of` ythe flashlight. Said Wall is bounded, las is customary in this art, by a hollow :integral bead 32.

not, depending upon the use to which the flashlight is to be put and upon the design thereof.

The illustrated suspension member is of the type known as a ring hanger and includes a major circular segment of wire 34 which lies, when in closed or retracted position, against the rear Wall 3i) and next to the bead 32. The ends 36 of the segment are bent inwardly for a short distance to provide sliding bearing portions 38 on the wire segment 34 and are then straightened into alignment to form pivoting journal portions 46, 'I'he bearing portions, it will be seen, lie to one side of a line joining the journals 4D while the major portion of the wiresegment lies on the opposite side of said line. ported for rotation relative to and for translation towards and away from the rear wall 30 by a iiat spring 42 riveted at one end 44 to the interior surface of the wall 30 and having a leg 46 angularly disposed with respect to the body p0rtion 48 of said spring. The leg 46 freely passes through a slot 50 in the rear wall 30 and is provided at its free end with a crook or bearing 52 in 4which the journal portions 40 of the wire segmentare rotatably received. The body portion 48 or the spring, prior to assembly, is bent at a slight angle to the riveted end 44 so as to constantly urge the crook 52 and thus the journal portions 4i! towards the rear wall `3i). l

When it is desired to employ the suspension member l0, as for example when the flashlight I2 is to be hung from a hook, the user inserts a fingernail between the wire segment 34 and the bead 32 and slightly raises said segment. The

segment is then rotated 90 away from the base z to its perpendicular projecting or dead center position shown in Fig. 4. If it is desired to leave the segment in an operative projecting position, it can be rotated a few degrees further in the same direction, whereupon the spring 42 will urge the journal portions 40 of the segment toward the rear wall 30 causing the segment 34 to continue to rotate until portions thereof abut the bead 32. Since the bead is raised,A the segment, when stopped thereby, will stillvbe in a substantially extended position wherein it may be readily grasped and the flashlight manipulated or hung thereby. It will be appreciated that the spring 42 is not strong enough to retractively bias the wire segment when the weight of the flashlight l2. depends therefrom. If it is desired to fully retract the segment34 it is merely necessary to rotate said segment partially towards closing position so as to move the.

sha-pes such, for example, as an openhook, ay

closed loop, or a straight handle, without departing from the spirit. ofmy invention.

Said journal portions are supp revolution of said journal, a bearing in whichA It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of the invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made vof the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to .be understood that all matter herein set Vforth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. For` use vwith a flashlight having a wall, a suspension member for the ashlight, said member having a journal about which it is rotatable and portions lying to both sides of the axis of said journal is rotatable,.means attached to said wall at one side thereof and supporting said bearing at the other side thereof for movement of saidbearing towards and away from said wall, h

said means being lresilient tobias the bearing towards said wall, one of the portions of said suspension member which is located at one side of said journal being so proportioned as to slidably bear against said wall.

2. For use with a iiashlight having a wall, a suspension member for the ashlight, said member having a journal about which it is rotatable and portions lying to both sides of the axis of revolution of said journal, a leaf spring carried by said wall and having a crook at its free end in which the journal is received to rotatably support the same and bias it towards saidwall, one of the portions of said suspension member which lies to one side of said journal slidably bearing against saidwall.

3. For use with a flashlight having a wall, a suspension member for the flashlight, said member comprising a bail, the two ends of which are turned inwardly to provide spaced portions which slidably bear against the wall and then bent into alignment `to provide journals, a pair of bearings in which said journals are rotatable, means'to support said bearings for movement towards and away from said wall, and means to resiliently bias the same towards said wall.

4. A ring hanger for the rear cap of a flashlight having a bottom wall, said hanger comprising a bail, the two ends of which are turned inwardly to provideY sliding bearing portions and then bent into alignment to provide journals, a leaf spring vdisposed internally of said cap and having an angled portion passing freely through an aperture in said bottom wall, said leaf spring being rigidly supported at a portion spaced from said angled portion internally of said cap, the end of said angled portion which `extends through said bottom wall having va crook thereon in which said journals are pivotally received, the portion of said leaf spring intermediate said angled portion and the portion which is attached to said bottom wall sloping away from said bottom wall K so as to resiliently bias said journals toward said bottom wall.

BERNARD FRANCIS MULDOON. 

